who am i?

Monday, February 29, 2016

The Love Collision: Love is God - Obiora Obiwon

Obiora
Nwokolobia-Agu, mostly known in the music industry as Obiora Obiwon, is an award winning Nigerian singer, musician, songwriter, recording
artiste, music minister and evangelist. He was honored as Nigeria's Voice of the
Decade (21st century) at the Nigeria Music Awards.He is sold out to the gospel of Christ and
continues to minister this message at various churches, Christian and other
secular events. Obiwon
is married and has two lovely children.

At the risk of sounding clichéd, Love is God... and
I’ll explain my own understanding of this.

The day I settled with the whole issue of what love
is, does true love exist and all such questions was the moment I came to terms
with the fact that you cannot separate the Maker of all things from Love which
He created and vice versa. I had started
to really seek and find if indeed there was anything like “love” as we know it and
at a point when the love songs I often wrote and sang began to take on a more larger
than life presence and meaning. I was also making grave mistakes and having
misfortunes with romantic love in my own life. In my curious quest I found God
as the ultimate Love I was searching for, the Love Being in whom I could safely
and truly experience the highest meaning and expression of love ever possible.
I realized and accepted that every other type of love and relationship on this realm
flows out of that original Source or has been corrupted from this
original.

Have you had a love encounter with God?

Yes, severally... and I’m having one right now.
Remarkably though, the day I truly submitted all of me and my ways to Him and other
intimate moments alone with Him since then are exhilarating and unforgettable.

How has that changed your life and your perception
of Christianity and what religion has portrayed it to be?

I found a true connection with my Maker. In
retrospect I found that you can only hear of this or choose to sneer at it as
another trick, until the day you freely decide to try it for yourself and stick
at it... then the true encounters with the God of the Universe begin, you
wouldn’t want to go back and you would understand why it would seem like others
were quite ‘overzealous’ trying to introduce this to you. People being people
choose bits and pieces of the aspects of the Christian message and twist and
adapt it to suit whatever purpose, and this can scare away anyone who had
wanted to try Christ for size. However this doesn’t change the fact that Jesus,
the core of his message and all about Him is realer than the air we breathe and
the best life ever. Additionally, as a “fly” guy, I had resisted giving all to
God because that didn’t seem to be a ‘”fun” lifestyle and there might be
certain things I would no longer be able to do. However after I made up my mind
to do it, I discovered along the way that the God life is the best, “funnest”
and safest lifestyle possible, even if He had to take a little time to change
my initial tastes and concept of fun and satisfaction.

How has this love shaped your understanding of who
God is? How has this love walk affected your life? i.e Has this love shielded
you from trials? If it hasn’t, how have you been able to reconcile the truth of
a loving God with the facts of life’s challenges in your face?

I’m learning everyday. Seasons of doubts and
anxiety have crept up in the midst of certain circumstances, but I’ve learnt
that if one could still believe and trust through these times and challenging
circumstances, you would eventually come through to experiencing new dimensions
of His love and His person on a whole new level. My claim to the absolute verity
of the last statement is my personal experience; it has happened to me over and
over again. It’s right in the love encounters that one is reassured of the unfailing
and faithful nature of His love, therefore I come to see love encounters with
God as a daily necessity for refreshment, strength and reassurance.

If you were given a chance to witness this love to
someone, what would you say?

I would say all I’ve said above but probably
summarize it thus:
The Love of God is the love, satisfaction, rest and meaning that you've been
searching and yearning for all your life... and it is personified in Jesus the
Christ."

Here’s
Obiwons latest video 'Bunibe'. Bunibe shows a jubilant yet inspired Obiora
Obiwon as he sing-dances his way across various situations of everyday life in
the city and streets of Lagos, Nigeria. The song seeks to inspire faith and hope through praise in various circumstances.

I
think it’s so apt for this post. Only a person who knows how loved he is by God
will be willing to praise even when the land lord calls and trials and problems
seem to be lurking around. So will you praise Him? Get up and dance knowing He
loves you, and His love is bringing you out of every situation. There’s a
fourth man in the fire, you wouldn’t be burnt.